The IIRC 'silver' rating of these sedans for protecting driver & passengers in a crash
Where might I rent either? Anyone here rented one? If so, which rental agency, and where?
For your on-topic comments, thank you kindly.
The IIRC 'silver' rating of these sedans for protecting driver & passengers in a crash
Where might I rent either? Anyone here rented one? If so, which rental agency, and where?
For your on-topic comments, thank you kindly.
Not sure about Passats but I believe Enterprise is renting Jettas now.
Some VW dealers also might rent out cars too.
I don't know that anyone rents them, but I'd recommend a Jetta - VWs traditionally have lots of passenger space, and the Jetta has traditionally been less problematic than the Passat.
nate
Do not know who rents here, but Avis in Italy does. Rented a Jetta TDI diesel last year. Not as comfortable as my Chevy Crewcab truck, but was actually very nice. And I am 6'4". The diesel ran like a gas engine. No rattle, and ran 145 lph (95 mph) down the highway with plenty of power to spare, and got very good milage.
Rent? Are there no local VW dealers willing to let you take a test drive, for free?
K.
You didn't say where in the world you are located. Try asking a local VW dealer for a rental or a referral to a local agency where you can rent VW vehicles.
he's probably looking to try one out for a couple of days and not just 10 minutes.
I'd say get an 'old' (1998-2005) Passat. It has a better AWD system for handling and has better weight distribution. Your dealer might even still have a few in stock and be more than willing to get rid of them for under cost since they're "last year's model" (but IMHO a better car than the current Passat).
-Andrew
If stretch room for someone 6'3" is a primary concern then the Passat and even more so the Jetta will be a bit cramped in my experience as someone who is 6'. I test drove both as well as several other cars last year before settling on a Volvo V70.
You might want to look at something larger like one of the 4 door sedans from Chevy or Ford. Also, the Toyota Avalon seemed to have a good amount of stretch room when I test drove one last year.
I know somone who bought that model and had to sell it because he found the seats intolerably uncomfortable.
If you like great seats I can recommend Saab.
Graham
Look at the Crown Vic. Seriously. Once you get past the "old guy's car" rep, it's a damn good car. They're RWD, very durable[*], comfortable, and get 25-27 mpg on the highway. Not "flashy" for sure, but nonetheless good.
[*]- You see NYC cabs with 250+ k miles running around all the time. There's something to be said for a car that lasts that long in *hard* city driving. (NYC roads aren't the best, traffic is stop-and-go all the time, and it gets *hot* in summer.)-Andrew
You don't often learn a lot in a trip around the block with the salesman pressuring you about buying the car, never shutting up long enough to even listen to the radio, much less check seating comfort over an extended period with two or more drivers at the wheel.
Seat comfort is very much a personal thing. The original poster might find the 'old' Passat quite comfy (and I'm not sure how different the 'new' Passat's seats are anyway).
I find my Volvo 240's seats to be extremely comfortable (not to mention the best seat heaters ever), but a short friend complained that the pass. seat was 'awful' on a long trip.
-Andrew
Hell, any GM or Saturn dealer will give you a 24 hour test drive.
But I don't think the OP could get a Passat from his local Saturn dealer :-)
It's a shoddily-engineered, shoddily-built piece of garbage from Ford.
Big deal! I still see '85-'87 Yugos, Chevrolet Cavaliers and other such dreck with that kind of mileage on them. With enough parts replacement, you can make anything last that long.
Yep! Even a Volkswagon. LOL
Certainly simpler and more maintainable than the 500 or Taurus. Nice, simple RWD drivetrain and well-debugged design (the basic design is 20+ years old). I thought your philosophy was K.I.S.S., Daniel, and that you were a fan of the old RWD Volvo (1-/2- series) and slant-6 Dodges for that very reason.
-Andrew
A used one. Or mention the offer to the VW dealer.
The callsign shows I'm in the Pacific NW of the US - and the local dealer had not a clue where I could rent one for a 300 mile drive, nor would they allow me to drive it that long.
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